SINGAPORE – Civil rights activist Jolovan Wham, 40, will be charged in court on Monday (Nov 23) with two offences under the Public Order Act.

Wham, who is the former executive director of migrant worker advocacy group Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (Home), had staged a protest on the steps of the former State Courts building on Dec 13, 2018.

That location is within a prohibited area delineated in the Public Order (Prohibited Areas) Order 2009.

Wham had also allegedly staged a protest on March 28 this year in the vicinity of Toa Payoh Central Community Club and Toa Payoh Neighbourhood Police Centre.

No permit was granted for the protest.

If found guilty of either offence, he can be fined up to $5,000, the police said in a statement on Saturday.

Organising or taking part in a public assembly without a police permit in Singapore is illegal and constitutes an offence under the Public Order Act, the police stressed.

“The Speakers’ Corner is the proper avenue for Singaporeans to express their views on issues that concern them, and to allow Singaporeans to conduct assemblies without the need for a permit, subject to certain conditions being met,” the police statement said.

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